Fun Facts:
- Mozzarella cheese was orginally made with sheeps milk and later from water buffalo milk in southern Italy.
- In 2022 the average person living in the U.S. consumed 41.8 pounds of cheese.
June is dairy month! I personally can’t think of a more versitile animal than the cow. They provide us with beef, milk,and all the amazing products we create with milk!
This recipe uses mozzarella cheese which is considered a semisoft cheese. In the United States cheeses are put into categories ranging from hard, soft, semi-soft, and semi-hard. Mozzarella has different varieties, the kind you may use on a pizza or eat as a cheese stick is normally aged for a short period of time, just a few weeks.
Regardless of how long the cheese is aged the milk used will go through a similar process to prepare for further processing. In the United States this always includes testing for antibiotics, bacterial contamination, and somatic cells in the milk prior to leaving the farm.
If any of these tests come back at an unacceptable level the milk is left at the farm. Once the milk has been tested and loaded into the truck, it is transported to the processing plant where additional tests are done to confirm it is safe for human consumption, and finally it begins the pasteurization process. Normally, milk used for cheese production does not get homogenized.
You will need:
- 2 slices of sourdough bread per sandwich
- Mozzeralla cheese (I prefer to use fresh, and cut into slices)
- Pesto
- Tomato Slices (pat dry with paper towel)
- Mayo (tablespoon per sandwich)
Instructions:
- Prepare. Spread a thin layer of mayo on one side of each slice of bread. I know its dairy month and all, but trust me, using mayo will change your life.
- Mayo has a higher smoke (burn) point than butter which will make it harder for you to burn your precious sandwich. I think we have all had that experience. The spreadability is better than butter as well, helping you get the perfect crust on your sandwhich. The crust on the bread is the second most important part of a grilled cheese. Second of course to cheese!
- Build. I normally build my sandwiches on a cutting board or directly in the pan to avoid accidental destruction. This is going to be a hefty sandwich.
- Start by placing the mayo covered side of the bread down on the pan or cutting board.
- Spread a generous layer of pesto on one slice of bread.
- Place your first layer of cheese on top of the pesto.
- Top your first layer of cheese with a few slices of tomato, be sure you tomato is not too wet. If the tomato is not dry enough the sandwhich will fall apart and be challenging to flip.
- Add your final layer of cheese on your tomato and place your second peice of bread on top with the may facing out.
- Cook. If your sandwich was not built in the pan, place it in the pan. Allow the sandwich to cook at medium heat with a lid covering the pan to melt the cheese. This will make flipping the sandwich much easier.
- If you dont have a lid, place a heat safe plate over the top of the pan.
- Each pan and stove top will cook food slighly differently keep a close eye on your sandwich.
- Once the cheese has melted, flip your sandwich. Brown the other side of the sandwich to your liking.
- Enjoy. Once your sandwich is cooked to perfection do not forget to pull it from the pan. Your sandwich will continue to brown if it is left on a hot burner or in a hot pan. Remover your sandwich from the pan, allow it to cool for a few minutes. Burning your mouth on molten cheese will ruin this experience.